Thursday, July 8, 2010

Summer has definitely arrived and with it has come all of the biting bugs that can ruin your hike, summer BBQ, camping and other outdoor activities.

So, what are your options? Most folks apply insect repellent with all of the odd, unpronounceable chemical names it includes on their skin, or wear one of those clip on thingys that have recently come out on the market.

There are a few other options, like knowing about plants that contain ingredients that naturally repel bugs. You can use these plants in your yard, around your garden or patio area to deter those pesky critters without using wacky sounding chemicals.

Here are a few of those plants you can use around your garden, entryway, patio area etc.

Now that you have a nice little list of bug repellent plants and have covered your yard with them, you can have bug free yard and enjoy the great outdoors, right? Not so fast! What if you want to leave your yard? Take some of those plants with you? Not always feasible. Or is it?There are lots of ways to take it with you. Use products containing these same ingredients in a plant oil form, dried sachet form or other handy means. So you CAN take it with you when you go.

Try a candle made from some of these plants, or that include eucalyptus, cedar or juniper oil. Not the fragrance oil that is chemically produced to smell like them, but the REAL essential oil. The fragrance oil doesn't work the same way. Bugs know the difference.

Used a lotion, oil, or solid oil stick that contains these essential oils. Re-apply every 2 to 4 hours. You don't need a lot. Just apply them at your pulse points: your temples and neck, inside of wrists and arms, back of knees, inside ankle bone, top of your foot...those are the most common areas.

You'll smell better than everyone else around you too!

We were out one Fourth of July, watching the fireworks display. Several folks were slapping at biting bugs while we were able to enjoy the sight using our lotion stick containing many of these oils. I happened to have a lotion stick in my pocket and offered to let a few of my neighbors try it. The next day, I sold out all of my lotion sticks and had to make more!

Do we claim that our soap and lotion sticks are bug repellents? NO! I just make them because they contain natural plant oils that are already well known to keep bugs away. I don't like bugs biting me, so I use what I know works for me. AND, they smell good!

What a concept...

And YES. There are soaps and lotion sticks in shop that contain some of these items. Click on my shop site icon if you like what you hear.